Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is taking his time before deciding whether to play QB Deshaun Watson in the preseason.
"I think you always have to look at every decision and what's in the best interest of the club and the best interest of the player," Stefanski said ahead of the Browns' second training camp practice on Friday. "We have some time before we make that decision. I've done it a bunch of different ways for different players over the years and really the whole goal is to get ready for the season and beyond."
The Browns have just over two weeks before they see their first preseason action, an Aug. 10 home matchup against the Packers. As the Browns ramp up training camp, Stefanski said Watson, who has spent the offseason recovering from shoulder surgery, is happy to be back on the practice field rather than watching from the sidelines.
"Just sitting down and talking to him, he feels that he's ready to go," Stefanski said. "Again, we'll be smart with all of our guys, especially our quarterback, we'll be smart with what we ask him to do as we bring him along. But he's very excited and feels good."
Watson has good reason to be excited.
With a new offensive coordinator in Ken Dorsey, a new weapon in WR Jerry Jeudy and returning targets in Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore (among others), the Browns feature one of the most dynamic receiver rooms in the league.
"I think that wide receiver room in particular is an exciting room for (wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator) Coach (Chad) O'Shea, for us, where we have a bunch of guys that can do different things," Stefanski said. "That versatility is so important when you're talking about offensive football because you can jump in and out of different things offensively and you feel like you have the guys that can work through different schemes that you're running."
Stefanski credited Dorsey – who earned high praise from Cooper on Thursday – with encouraging and facilitating collaboration between his quarterbacks and receivers.
"Dorsey does a great job of including the wide receivers," Stefanski said. "Just this morning, sitting with the quarterbacks and wide receivers in the meetings together talking through different concepts that are new for all of us."
Praise for Tillman
One young wide receiver that could be poised for a breakout season is Cedric Tillman. The second-year receiver out of Tennessee finished with 21 receptions for 224 yards last season. Tillman saw a significant uptick in usage in the second half of the season. In the first eight weeks, Tillman only saw action in four games, averaging just over 11 snaps per game. After the Browns traded receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones in Week 9, Tillman averaged over 56 snaps per game to close the season.
"He's got some good game reps under his belt," Stefanski said of the 6-foot-3 receiver. "He works very, very hard. I think I mentioned before, he didn't miss a day in the offseason, has the right attitude and quarterbacks like throwing him the ball."
Injury updates
On Thursday, defensive end and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett practiced and warmed up off to the side rather than participating in the team's walkthrough. Garrett appeared to tweak his hamstring during minicamp in June.
"[We're] just gonna ramp him up," Stefanski said. "We'll continue to work off the side with him for now but he'll be out there shortly."
Also on the sideline during Thursday's practice was running back Nick Chubb, who was listed on the team's active/physically unable to perform list earlier this week after injuring his knee in Sept. 2023.
"I'd say he's progressing exactly where he should be," Stefanski said on Chubb's recovery process. "You know Nick and I know Nick and he's pushing it. He's doing everything that they're asking him to do and as much as he can do. … It's good to have him out here period, we always love when Nick's out there at practice."
A full list of the Browns injury designations can be found here.
